Feeding mechanism for reducing apparatus



A. 1.. BAUSMAN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR REDUCING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 30 1921 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS BYW aw Dec. 25, 192,3.- 3418.8 7

A- L, BAUSMAN EE I ME HANI$M FOR REDUGING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 39. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 f/ wfi INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

UNITED STATES TIONAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY,' OF SI? TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

than? PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO LINTON BAUSMAN, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, YASSIGNOR TO NA RINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CoEPoEA- FEEDING MECHANISM FOR REDUCING APPARATUS.

Application filed December To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALONZO LINT N Bans-- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden II and State ofMass-achusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Reducing Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates. to reducing apparatus and, more particularly, to the mech: anism for feeding materials thereto. The

invention is, in some of its aspects, an improvement on that disclosed in my U. S.

Letters Patent No. 1,337,584., granted April 20, 1920.

Vvhile the invention is capable of other applications it finds one advantageous use as a means for feeding peanuts together with salt to an apparatus by means of which they are reduced to the condition of a paste, forming peanut butter. Obviously, the in vention maybe used for feeding other nuts, kernels, or materials of generally similar characteristics, and injecting into this material other substances for seasoning, flavoring or otherwise treating the mass.

One object of the invention is to provide, in connection with a suitable reducing apparatus, improved means ,for feeding material thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide in connection with a feedlng means for one material, an auxiliary means for feeding another material to the first named ma terial to be distributed therein and ad mixed therewith.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide a feeding mechanism operable to discharge by gravity flow through a gaged, and preferably regulable outlet, and means for maintaining thematerial back of the outlet at substantially a constant level, whereby the pressure,a factor contributing to rateof flow, is maintained uniform.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for making nut pastes, such as peanut butter, which machine comprises a reducing apparatus, a feeding mechanism for upplying nuts thereto and means for supplying salt to the nuts as they are fed to the reducing apparatus. I

30, 1921.. Serial No. 526,024.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following description and in the illustrative embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of the complete apparatus;

Fig. 2 is across-sectional view of the Supply container, showing part of the elevating means; and L Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view showing the reducing apparatus and feeding means therefor.

Referring to these drawings, the apparatus includes-a suitable reducing machine, which by preference is of the same general type as disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,098,325, granted May 26, 1914: on an inventionof Theodor Kihlgren. That is, the machine involves two disk-like members a, which have on their adjacent faces suitable reducing surfaces and are mounted in spaced parallel relation, and an intermediate member Z) carrying on each face a disk 0, which has" reducing surfaces to cooperate with those on disks (4. Material to be reduced is supplied'to the spaces between the cooperating plates (.4. and c by meansof two spaced chutes (Z and means are provided for pro-j ducing a relative rotary movement between these plates. In this instance, the member Z), carrying plates 0 is fixed to a shaft 6, supported in pedestals f, and theplates a are carried by members g, one of which is supported by one pedestal and the other is supported from the first-named member in a suitable manner, which is/conventionally indicated in the drawings and more fully eX- emplified in my prior U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,203,461, granted October 31, 1916.

For supplying material to the chutes (Z of the reducing apparatus, a feedinghoppe'r 5 is provided, which is stationarily Supported from and above the reducing apparatus by suitable means, such as thosei'n dicated at 6. The lower end of hopper 5,

which is open, is received between two spaced upstanding side flanges 7 of a curved directing plate 8, which closes the otherwise open end of thehopper. The sidewalls of hop per 5 extend into close proximity to plate :8 but the end walls are Spaced therefrom, havan arm 15 which is connected by a link 16 to one arm of a bell crank lever 17, pivotally supported by the last-named chute cl. The other end of lever 17 is connected by a link 18 to a crank pin 19 carried by a gear 20 rotatably supported from the right hand pedestal f and driven by a gear 21 on shaft 6 and thus proportionately with the speed of the grinding discs at and 0. The crank pin 19 and lever 17 eachhave a ball and socket connection with link 18. From the foregoing, itwill be seen that on each revolution of shaft 0, plate 8 Wlll be given one complete oscillation and will first deliver a charge to one chute (Z and then to the other.

In adapting the apparatus for the specific use of making peanut butter, it is necessary to provide means for supplying salt as well as nuts to the reducing apparatus and, preferably, thi salt is supplied to the nuts as they pass to the reducing apparatus. For this purpose, I provide a container 22 which may have a graduated transparent portion 23 3) to enable the amount of salt therein to be readily ascertained at any time. This container'22 is supported from hopper 5, as by brackets 24, and its lower end is connected'tothe hopper by a tube 25 which extends a substantial distance horizontally into the hopper and terminate with a bevelled end diverging downwardly from the 'verti cal. Rotatable in tube 25- is a worm 26, the inner end of which extends slightly beyond the bevelled end of the tube and the outer end of which is journalled in a bearing on the container 22. The latter is filled with dry salt, which is fed by gravity action to worm 25 and the latter, as it turns, feeds the salt into the hopper 5, where it mingles with the nuts flowing therethrough.

The means for turning worm 26 is connected to the mechanism for rocking the directing plate 8, so that, on each oscillation of the latter, the worm is turned to deliver a charge of salt to the nuts in hopper 5. Thus, measured charges of salt are delivered intothe hopper on each cycle of the mechanism which delivers nuts 'to the reducer. To this end, a ratchet27 is fixed to the outer end of the worm shaft 26 and pivotallymounted intermediate its ends on this shaft between the ratchet and container 22 is a lever 28, the upper extension of which carries a pawl 29 to engage the ratchet. The lower extension of lever 28 has a longitudinal slot 30 in which is received a stud 31 carried by one end of a link 32, and this stud may be adjustably secured to the lever in various positions of longitudinal adjustment by a thumb nut 33. The other end of link 32 is pivotally connected to an arm 34 fixed on the shaft 14 already described.

For the purpose of conveniently filling hopper 5 and keep-iug it filled to the desired level, I provide elevating means which will carry nuts from a relatively large supply container on the floor and deliver them into the hopper. Such-container is shown at 35 and consists of an open top receptacle having an outlet opening 36 in one of its side walls and inclined bottoms walls 37 sloping clownwardly toward the outlet. Adjacent the container 35 and with its lower end in communication with outlet 36 is an upwardly extending casing 38 which houses the elevator. The latter consists of an endless chain 39 mounted onvertically spaced sprockets 40 fixed to shafts 41 journalled in the side walls of casing 38. A series of buckets 42 are connected to chain 39 at suitable intervals and each is arranged to pick up a charge of nuts from the base of casing 38, carry it upwardly and discharge it into a chute 43 which in turn discharges into hopper 5.

It is important that the rateof'flow of nuts to the reducer be maintained as nearly uniform as possible. The rate of flow is controlled by the adjustable gates. 10, which control the area of the outlet of hopper 5. The rate of flow is, however, dependent on the pressure back of the outlet as well as the area thereof and it is essential therefore that such pressure be maintained, as nearly as possible, at a uniform figure. To thi end, I provide means for maintaining the supply of nuts in hopper 5 substantially at a constant level. This result is accomplished by feeding nuts to hopper 5 at a rate somethe container 35. The excess of feed need not be very great and would not be required at all if it were practically feasible tocontrol the elevator feed and hopper feed within close limits so that each would feed at equal rates. There will, as a practical matter, be some variation and because of this fact and to insure that the level never runs low, I provide for the excess feed. Thecontrol of the elevator feed is effected by liding gates 44 which vary the effective area of outlet 36. The excess of-nuts above the desired level in hopper 5 is returned by a chute 45 which connects the hopper to a vertical chute 46 formed in casing 38 and chute 46 terminates in a chute 47 which is directed into container 35 (Fig. 2).

The elevator is driven in the following what in excess of that at which they are] d1scharged,--the excess being returned to" manner. A pulley 46 fixed on a shaft 47 mounted in casing 38 is connected by a belt 48 to a pulley (not shown) on the shaft 6 of the reducer. Fixed toshaft a7 is a pinion 49: which drives through intermediate gearing 50 a gear 51 fixed on the lower shaft 41.

The operation of the. apparatus will sufiiciently appear from the foregoing description.

It should be noted that the invention may often times be used without the automatic feed for hopper 5, which, although desirable and preferred, is not indispensable. Also that the salt supplying means may be used in conjunction with any suitable nut feeding means as well as the specific one disclosed. The invention is likewise capable of other applications and is not limited to the one specific use which has been disclosed herein for illustrative purposes. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

WVhat I claim is 1. In apparatus of the class described, two spaced members having reducing surfaces on their adjacent faces, an element between said members having reducing surfaces on each face to cooperate with the first-named surfaces in reducing material fed therebetween, spaced chutes into which material is supplied and by which it is directed between the cooperating reducing surfaces, a stationary feeding hopper having an outlet gaged to permit discharge of material by gravity at a measured rate of flow, an oscillatory directing device upon which the material from said hopper is received and bywhich it is directed alternately into said chutes, and means to feed a measured quantity of another material into said hopper at each oscillation of said device.

2. A machine for making peanut butter and the like, comprising, a reducing apparatus by which the nuts are reduced to the condition of a paste, a passage through which the nuts are fed to the reducing apparatus, a container for salt and the like, a passage connecting the container and the first named passage, a worm rotatable in the last named passage, and pawl and ratchet driving connections between the worm and reducing apparatus to drive the worm at a speed proportional on the speed of the latter.

3. In combination, a reducing apparatus, a hopper, means for feeding material at a measured rate from the hopper to said apparatus, a supply container for the ma terial, elevating means for carrying material to said hopper at a rate somewhat in excess of that atwhich it is discharged, and a return connection between the hopper and container through which the excess material above a certain level in the hopper may overflow, whereby a substantially constant level of material is maintained in said hopper.

4. In apparatus of the class described, two spaced members having reducing surfaces on their adjacent faces, an element between said members having reducing surfaces on each faceto cooperate with the first-named surfaces in reducing material fed therebetween, spaced chutes into which material is supplied and by which it is directed between the cooperating reducing surfaces, a stationary feeding hopper having an outlet gaged to permit discharge of material by gravity at a measured rate of flow, and an oscillatory directing device upon which the material from said hopper is received and by which it is directed al-' ternately into said chutes.

5. In apparatus of the class described, two

spaced membershaving reducing surfaces on their adjacent faces, an element between said members having reducing surfaces on each face to cooperate with the first-named surfaces in reducing material fed therebetween, spaced chutes into which material is supplied and by which it is directed between the cooperating reducing surfaces, a station- 

